Help me finalize my engine plans

[DW]

I'm restoring my 68 Coronet R/T (440 hp).  Been working on the teardown and I'm almost done.  It'll go to the media blaster in a week or so and I'll turn my attention to the engine.  The machine shop will bore to .30 and level the deck to zero deck height to try to get 10:1 with KB Silv-O-Lite pistons.  They'll also balance it of course.  It's got 906 heads and I'll have a 3-angle valve job and hardened seats installed, no porting or oversize valves.

Now I could leave it at that and do a stock rebuild, but I'm wondering what gains I'll get with a couple minor mods, and whether they are worth the cost.  A fairly stock appearance is somewhat important to me, but not an absolute.  So I'm considering some tti or Doug's headers and an Edlebrock Air Gap RPM manifold.  There's a Holley 670 Street Avenger carb on it because the original was missing.

Will the headers and manifold make enough difference, considering the stock heads, to be worth the cost?  As you know, those headers are expensive so both together will be almost a grand.  I'm just not sure if it's money well spent.

[DW]

I forgot to mention, I am going with an Engle or similar cam.  So if you want to suggest one to go with or without the mods, feel free    I want to get as much power as possible but I still need good vacuum for a power brake booster.  Plus I don't want a radical idle, it's just going to be a street car.

[Runner]

i think it might depend on what cam your going to run.      is it "worth " it is hard to answer,  for me  yes it would be worth it. , i f i wanted to keep it stockish lookining except the headers id use a painted street dominator intake sence its lower   it is a singe plane but also helps with hood cleaner and carb linkage issues you will deal with when using the rpm manifold.   i also think the carb is to small.

[DW]

I guess worth it to me would mean at least a 25-30 gain in hp and torque.  I was afraid the carb might be too small with the headers and intake, but it was actually what Holley recommended for the stock engine.  It ran pretty well too for being worn out. 

[Runner]

do you know what cam your going with?   will it be a sock hp type grind or just a little bigger?         i think heade4rs and an intake could easily pickup that kind of gain

[DW]

It would be a little bigger.  I'm not good with cam specs, but I would think something one or two steps up from stock.

[Chryco Psycho]

the Cam is well worth the cost to do it , I did an absolutly stock looking 440 +6 last year & it made 525 HP gross rated so approix 125 more than stock this was throuhg stock intake & exhuast manifolds but using a Trick cam grind  we used TTi from the manifold back , 2.5" with H pipe , we did port the heads & use 1.81 exhaust valves , this car still sounds stock with a sligght lope in the exhaust & good Idle & vacuum at 800 rpm

[SeattleCharger]

the Cam is well worth the cost to do it , I did an absolutly stock looking 440 +6 last year & it made 525 HP gross rated so approix 125 more than stock this was throuhg stock intake & exhuast manifolds but using a Trick cam grind  we used TTi from the manifold back , 2.5" with H pipe , we did port the heads & use 1.81 exhaust valves , this car still sounds stock with a sligght lope in the exhaust & good Idle & vacuum at 800 rpm

stock intake and exhaust manifolds, so the hp gain was mostly all the cam and heads?   could you build a 440 with a cam like that, with a street performer intake and big carb, with stock heads, would it run ok, then ad the trick heads later and headers, when money allows?  would you need better pistons then cast for this horsepower?  thank you.

[DW]

Wow Chryco, those are great numbers for stock intake and exhaust.    I did toy with the idea of porting the heads, but I just can't seem to find anyone around here with knowledge of Mopar heads.  And I've heard that you can really screw them up if you don't know what you're doing.

So you only increased the exhaust valve, not the intake?  Did you use 906 heads?  How were they ported?  Do you mind sharing the cam specs?  Did you do any port matching with the manifolds?  I think it would be cool to keep the stock look with a considerable power increase.  Would I still get a decent increase without the porting, or is that crucial?  How much did the 6-pack setup contribute?  I'll have to use a 4-bbl.

Sorry for all the questions, but this is my first build and I'm trying to learn as much as possible.